Love Grows
by SpiritCrimson11
Summary: "But looking at Adrian, I knew that I could give him a chance. I wanted to give us a chance. I would always love Dimitri, but I wanted to move on with my life. I wanted to open a new chapter. And Adrian was that new chapter in my life." One shot on how Rose and Adrian started dating. Set before Spirit Bound and after Blood Promise.


**A/N:** Okay, so this a Rose/Adrian one shot idea I'd been having since a while. It is basically set before Spirit Bound, and after Blood Promise. It's just my take on how Rose and Adrian started dating. Now, I'm not sure if I'm very good at writing romance, so please excuse me if this isn't exceptional. I'm still an amateur fanfic writer. But this idea had been going on since a while now, and I just had to write it. Also, please avoid any grammatical errors you may find. I did proof read, but I might have missed something or the other.

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead. If it were mine, Rose and Adrian would have ended on much better terms, I can assure you.

* * *

I was sitting in the cafeteria with Lissa, simply pushing my food around my plate. I had lacked the appetite to eat anything since the past few days. Ever since I found out Dimitri was still alive, and in fact hunting me down, I had become a lot more uneasy. I wasn't exactly afraid, although a small part of me did fear him, but it was more out of the fact that I finally had an opportunity to save Dimitri. And it made me feel uneasy because what I intended to do was more or less pretty extreme.

And part of my uneasiness was actually Lissa's unease seeping into me through our bond, though I never let her know just how much her anxiety affected me. I always kept silent about it. I guess she didn't want me to know, but that was kind of hard, considering the bond.

"Rose?" Lissa's voice broke into my thoughts.

Startled, I looked up to see her frowning at me. "What?" I asked.

She looked down at my untouched plate, and then back up at me. "You haven't touched your food. It's unlike you."

I shrugged. "I wasn't feeling too hungry."

"You look—,"

"Little Dhampir!" Adrian's voice interrupted what Lissa was about to say. I glanced to my side, and sure enough, Adrian was walking towards our table. I smiled and waved out to him, and Lissa had a polite smile plastered on her face as well. But I could figure out from the bond that she wasn't too pleased at the interruption. Secretly, I was glad Adrian did interrupt.

Adrian reached our table and pulled a chair out for himself. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and then handed it out to me.

For an instant, I froze. I thought it was another letter from Dimitri, and Adrian was simply handing it over to me without really being aware as to its contents. "What is that?" I asked.

"My dating proposal for you," Adrian announced proudly. "You wanted one from me, remember?"

Lissa looked confused, and I simply gaped at Adrian. "You actually wrote one?" I asked in disbelief.

Adrian was simply grinning at me. "Of course I did."

I took the paper from him and then unfolded it. Inside, in Adrian's slightly messy handwriting, was a dating proposal. He had written a bunch of points down as to why he would make a good boyfriend. The more obvious ones were that he'd give up smoking and restrict his drinking, and be absolutely loyal to me. The others were, well, a bit more _sexual_. I almost laughed while reading one, but managed to control the urge.

I looked up at Adrian and saw him looking at me expectantly. Lissa was trying to figure out what was going on. I gave her a look that said I'd explain later, and then turned back to face Adrian.

"Impressive proposal, Adrian, although I would have preferred a typed proposal," I said. "But this really wasn't necessary."

Adrian looked at me with a seriousness I hadn't quite expected. "It was to me."

I tried to laugh it off, but for some reason, the intensity of his expression stopped me from doing so. "Okay." I said finally.

Adrian suddenly seemed to have snapped out of whatever state he was in and gave me a surprised look. "What?"

"I'll go on a date with you." I answered. "And I'll make my decision about you being my boyfriend after that, okay?"

Adrian still seemed to have difficulty believing what he'd just heard. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do! Man, why is it so hard for you guys to believe me when I actually agree to something?" I asked with some indignation.

"It's just too good to be true, that's all." Adrian replied. "Well then, I better get going. I've got a date to plan."

Adrian hurried out of the cafeteria, and I couldn't stop the small smile that crept on to my face. This actually meant a lot to him, I realized. I knew it wasn't fair to date him, given the fact that I was still in love with Dimitri and was thinking up plans to restore him. But I had promised to give him a shot, and breaking that promise wouldn't be fair to him either.

Man, I was a complete and utter mess.

"Rose, what's going on?" Lissa asked.

I looked at Lissa and shrugged. "I told Adrian to write me an offer, as to why he's a good would-be boyfriend."

Lissa's eyes widened at that. "And he actually wrote you one?"

I still couldn't believe that either. "Yeah, apparently this does mean a lot to him."

Lissa's eyes showed some concern. "But are you sure you want to…"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." I said. And surprisingly, a part of me actually meant it.

* * *

The 'date' was apparently supposed to be in Adrian's room, considering I wasn't really permitted to leave the campus until I graduated. This was a condition put to me by my mom, who was afraid I would decide to run off once again. And thus, I wasn't allowed to leave campus at all. I could roam around within the campus, but beyond it, not a chance. And so, Adrian had decided to invite me to his room for our date.

I was still in my room, debating whether or not to dress up for our date. I didn't really have a variety of dresses, so I decided on keeping it simple. I put on my clothes and gave a once over to my reflection.

It was a simple blue strapless dress, nothing too elaborate, yet elegant in its own right. I didn't even know I owned it, until I'd decided to raid my wardrobe. I put on my _nazar_, more out of habit than anything else. I considered putting on a bit of makeup, but then decided against it. I wanted to keep it simple. I let my hair hang loose about me, and once I was satisfied with my appearance, I turned to leave my room.

Just as I closed my room door behind me, Lissa caught up with me.

"Rose, you look amazing." She said, smiling softly.

I smiled back. "Thanks."

"Well, good luck on your date." She said.

"Thanks, Liss." I said. "And yes, Liss, I am sure about this." Well, at least I hoped I was.

She nodded and then gave me a quick hug. I pulled away and then smiling at her once, left from there.

* * *

The walk to Adrian's room was a short one. He was currently staying at one of the guest rooms at St. Vladimir's. Just as I reached in front of his door, it opened and Adrian was standing there, grinning broadly at me.

I couldn't stop the smile that came to my face. "How did you know I was here? I didn't even knock." It was only after I'd asked that I realized how lame that was. Of course he'd know it was me. He could identify auras, after all. It was one of Spirit's crazy powers.

"I'd have to be blind to not recognize your aura, Rose." Adrian replied. He then stepped aside and made a dramatic hand gesture. "Please, come in."

Laughing, I stepped into his room. It seemed like Adrian had taken a lot of efforts for this date. The lighting in the room was dim. There was one candle sitting on the coffee table, along with two wine glasses, already filled with red wine. And the room looked very clean, and a part of me suspected it wasn't in such a clean state usually.

I turned to look at Adrian and saw him looking at me with a half-smile. "This was the best I could do, considering you weren't allowed to leave the campus at all." He said.

I smiled. "It's kind of nice." I said truthfully. I looked him up and down, noting the expensive suit he'd worn, and his stylishly messed up hair, and added, "And you've cleaned up pretty well too."

Adrian snorted. "Of course I have. I always look my best." He then took in my appearance, and winked. "You look gorgeous. I like that you've dressed up for me."

"Hardly," I laughed.

We headed towards the couch and settled down on it. Adrian handed over my wine glass from the coffee table to me, and picked up his own.

I took a sip and immediately felt the warmth seep through me. "It's nice, the wine." I commented.

Adrian didn't say anything, but instead looked at me with such intensity that I couldn't help but blush just the slightest. It was unusual for me to blush, and even more so at something Adrian said or did. I was so used to his flirting, that nothing he did really had much of an impact on me physically.

"I'm glad you're giving me this chance, Rose." He said softly.

I saw it in his eyes that he really meant it. It made me feel slightly guilty, because I knew his feelings for me were genuine. I did not want to do anything to hurt him if I could help it.

"I'm glad too," I said. "And I did promise you."

And just like that, he was back to his usual, playful self. I welcomed it gladly. A serious, intense Adrian was new territory for me. I was rather used to the playful, flirtatious Adrian. He was easier to deal with.

"Are you hungry?" He asked after some time had passed.

I nodded. "I'm starving."

He took both the empty wine glasses and then went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he was back with two plates and take away food.

"I know cooking food would've been the more romantic thing to do," He said, setting the plates and food down on the table, "but I didn't want to risk it."

The food was Italian, and once again I found myself wondering how on earth he managed to get it. I would have to ask him that sometime. For now, I was ready to savour the food.

We ate, and talked, and occasionally Adrian would fit in a flirty comment here and there. Once we were done, I helped Adrian clean up and then we were back on the couch. Adrian had a glass of whisky in his hand, which I didn't really approve of, but since it was our first date, I let it go.

"So, are you having a good time?" He asked me.

I thought about it. Till now, I did have a good time. Adrian was fun to be with, and this date was just that. There wasn't a dull moment, no awkwardness. It was just me and Adrian. And it felt surprisingly nice. I had also realized that I didn't mind being with Adrian like this all the time. I knew my feelings for him weren't really strong or developed, but I couldn't deny the attraction I felt towards him.

He was a really good friend, and if given the chance, it could develop into something more. Was I having a good time? Yes, I most certainly was.

"Yes," I answered finally.

He looked relieved, I noted.

"So, well, what have you decided about…" he began tentatively.

"About us?" I finished for him. "I don't know, Adrian. I mean, after everything that's happened, it's going to be difficult for me. I don't know if I'll be able to ever feel the same way again for someone else…"

"Rose, I'm not asking you to confess your love for me," Adrian interrupted. "All I want is for you to give me_, us_, a chance. I want you to know how I feel about you. I want to be able to show it you. I know it won't be easy for you, hell, I'm sure it's going to be nearly impossible for you to get over everything that's happened, but I want to help you through it, Rose. I want to be there for you."

Adrian's little speech left me stunned. He knew I wouldn't be able to love him the way I did Dimitri, and yet here he was, wanting nothing more than one chance. He truly believed I'd be able to fall for him. And to be honest, I was almost certain I'd be able to feel more than just friendship for him. It wouldn't be the kind of love I felt for Dimitri, but looking at Adrian, I knew that I could give him a chance. I _wanted _to give us a chance. Even though there was a possibility that Dimitri could be restored, I didn't want to stop living. I would always love Dimitri, but I wanted to move on with my life. I wanted to open a new chapter. And Adrian was that new chapter in my life.

With that thought in my head, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. Adrian froze, but once he'd recovered, he hastily put the glass of whisky down on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. This was our first kiss, and it felt wonderful. His lips were warm against mine, and the kiss gradually increased in intensity. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and eventually tangled them in his hair. My whole body felt ignited, and I realized I wanted this. I definitely wanted this.

Adrian slowly pulled away and looked at me with wonder in his eyes. "Wow," he said softly.

"I know." I responded.

"So, you're giving this a chance." He said.

"Yes." I agreed.

Adrian still looked dazed, as though he couldn't believe I'd finally agreed to go out with him. I couldn't really blame him. I had turned him down so many times, so it definitely was a surprise to him when I finally did accept.

"We'll take this slow, I promise. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I promise you won't regret this, Rose." He said, taking my hand in his.

"I know," I said softly before he leaned in and kissed me again.

Maybe it wasn't a perfect, epic love. But it made me feel alive, and happy.

And that was enough for me for now.

* * *

**A/N:** So, I hope it didn't suck too much? I tried my best to stay in character, so please don't be hard on me if it wasn't up to the mark. Reviews would be appreciated :)


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